The Program

[freedomno1]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/united-states-of-secrets/#part-one---the-program

A PBS Documentary on the United States of Secrets can go to 1H 40 For Obama's office time and talk of whistleblowers at 1:44:30 on to 1:47 - Leads to Thomas Drake

Also a news article linking to today that says employees would be protected when they make disclosures about potential wrongdoing within their agencies, to internal watchdogs or to Congress' intelligence committees.

The question is can you really trust them the intent of this is to make legal the whistle-blowing of programs internally, but in the end it is still pass this law or Americans could die.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/07/obama-whistleblowers_n_5564965.html

As a Sweet Bonus
http://rt.com/news/170276-germany-nsa-bundestag-inquiry/

Former NSA agents-turned-whistleblowers are testifying before a German parliamentary committee as the Bundestag investigates America’s wiretapping methods with one of them branding the NSA approach “totalitarian.”

It is hoped that evidence from the two US citizens, William Binney and Thomas Drake, will shed light on the methods of surveillance used by the American National Security Agency (NSA), which eavesdropped on the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leading German and European politicians.

Binney and Drake broke their silence long before ex-NSA employee Edward Snowden leaked revelations about American intelligence agencies’ practices last year.

[shogdite]

Obama had been relentless in targetting whistleblowers, especially considering he campaigned on having an open transparent government.

Snowden tried to go through the official channels several times but was stonewalled by his superiors. These internal 'whistle-blowing' programs aren't worth the paper they're written on.

[freedomno1]

Obama had been relentless in targetting whistleblowers, especially considering he campaigned on having an open transparent government.

Snowden tried to go through the official channels several times but was stonewalled by his superiors. These internal 'whistle-blowing' programs aren't worth the paper they're written on.

I agree, Snowden was shutdown and stonewalled along with the other people inside the NSA that said they didn't feel comfortable with the 180 they did on spying going back to the Nixon administration and were told to be quiet and ignore it.

So yah those internal whistle-blowing programs are worthless since they will just be stonewalled
It will be thank you for your concerns
Leave the room
Jimmy organize a raid on X for their hard drives

[counter]

Not sure what to make of this stuff from Snowden on down the line.  I have my opinions but the whistle blowers all have these shady backgrouds like Jullian Assange .  Everyone seems to be playing this political poker game and it makes me wonder what they are hodling. 

   One thing I can see for sure is the horrible moves the feds are making.  In my humble opinion it will be good if people(Americans) weren't legally be killed for whistle blowing. 
When places like Gitmo are up and running around the world this stuff start to sort of make sense to me anyway. I'm just not sure the alternative option would make it so such things didn't happen.  Thanks for the update OP.

[u9y42]

Not sure what to make of this stuff from Snowden on down the line.  I have my opinions but the whistle blowers all have these shady backgrouds like Jullian Assange .  Everyone seems to be playing this political poker game and it makes me wonder what they are hodling. 

[...]

One of the reasons whistleblowers are seen as having shady backgrounds, is the usual character assassination that goes on in these cases; if you can't attack the message, attack the person.

Other than that, remember that whistleblowers and the people they leak the information to, need to have been able to be in a position to acquire that information in the first place, and that is a "behind the scenes" view that most people are not used to seeing, except maybe in movies.

[freedomno1]

Not sure what to make of this stuff from Snowden on down the line.  I have my opinions but the whistle blowers all have these shady backgrouds like Jullian Assange .  Everyone seems to be playing this political poker game and it makes me wonder what they are hodling.  

[...]

One of the reasons whistleblowers are seen as having shady backgrounds, is the usual character assassination that goes on in these cases; if you can't attack the message, attack the person.

Other than that, remember that whistleblowers and the people they leak the information to, need to have been able to be in a position to acquire that information in the first place, and that is a "behind the scenes" view that most people are not used to seeing, except maybe in movies.

True enough first they need to have a good enough reputation to acquire that information to whistleblow if they were so bad then why would you hire them into your company in the first place?

Character assassination is done if the person is legitimate, example Assange pin a Rape Case on him
With Snowden call him a traitor to the United States.

The documentary clearly shows that many people inside the NSA went to the higher ups to complain about these privacy concerns and the fact their anonymity filter in thinthread was removed on purpose.
(29:00-31:00) Vid

They were either A shutdown entirely B Told its above their paygrade and to not question it C told that it was completely legal and approved by everyone when it wasn't or D It's just not a problem shut up and don't ever talk about this again.
(31:00-33:00 Vid) Vito Potenza

Not really a way to address it internally if people ignore you.

[beetcoin]

so those two individuals testifying in germany.. how do they keep themselves safe? do they even live in america anymore or do they have some sort of asylum?

[freedomno1]

so those two individuals testifying in germany.. how do they keep themselves safe? do they even live in america anymore or do they have some sort of asylum?

It's in the video a bit but basically Thomas Drake has already been charged by the USA so they can't really pin on him any charges on whistleblowing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Andrews_Drake
On June 9, 2011, all 10 original charges against him were dropped. Drake rejected several deals because he refused to "plea bargain with the truth". He eventually pled to one misdemeanor count for exceeding authorized use of a computer
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56665.html
130:00 - 135:00 For Drake and his raid

In other terms he made a plea deal so he is safe to testify

As for William Binney they already raided him once in 2005 as part of the leaks that Drake did as part of the original thinthread group
One morning in July 2007, a dozen agents armed with rifles appeared at his house, one of whom entered the bathroom and pointed his gun at Binney, still towelling off from a shower. In that raid, the FBI confiscated a desktop computer, disks, and personal and business records.
123:30 - 130:00 on raids

127:15 For Binney in Particular

[beetcoin]

^ thanks for the info. to be honest, i don't think i could sacrifice myself enough to be a whistleblower.. once you are on big brother's shit list, you'll never be off of it. that's such a huge sacrifice to make.

[freedomno1]

^ thanks for the info. to be honest, i don't think i could sacrifice myself enough to be a whistleblower.. once you are on big brother's shit list, you'll never be off of it. that's such a huge sacrifice to make.

True enough, although that is what Wikileaks/Openleaks is for more to bring the dirty laundry to light and to more or less leave someone else in charge of the bag without having to take the ultimate sacrifice then letting others decide what is worth releasing.